Fruits Basket: Life's a Raging Storm
by AnimeCookie93
Summary: Working Title / As Shigure bound toward the house, Yuki turned around to look at Kyo. "Hm. It figures you'd be getting back. And I know as much as you, so there's no reason to raise your…" "T-Tohru!" / Kyohru, T
1. Prologue

_OHAI~_

_...sorry. Well, anyway, I'm back with this bundle of joy. (Waitaminit, was Fruits Basket really EVER a bundle of joy? Not really, no. Not with the miniscule "angsticles".)_

_This, at first, wasn't going to see the light of day, because I'm very self-conscious about works I abandon and then go back to. That being said, my dear friend Eri said it was FFnet worthy. So, here it is... hope she's right!_

**Disclaimer: **Yeah. Right. I own Furuba. I'm also Queen of England and can hold my breath under water forEVER. -Sarcasm+Lawyers=BAIBAI-

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><p><strong>Prologue<strong>

The moment Tohru Honda got out of school, she began immediate preparations for supper that night. Shigure was busy working on his novel to realize she'd come home, or to realize that Yuki had called a little over a half hour ago to ask if they could be picked up, for it was raining hard. To their extreme irritation, the trio had to walk home in the rain, Kyo already in a bad mood after being harassed by Uo and getting in a fight at school and ultimately losing thanks to the interference of Yuki.

Tohru couldn't help but smile; ever since _that night_, the three of them as a whole have gotten closer. She and Kyo have started dating, and Kyo and Yuki haven't gotten in an all-out shouting match since. Of course, it had only been three days, which to Tohru was a huge stretch from the previous record of thirty minutes.

Dinner that night was going to be a chicken soup recipe her mother had taught her. The chicken had simmered in a pot of water and fresh vegetables from the market, and that itself made a stock. She was currently peeling the meat from the bone and putting it back into the fresh stock, and slicing some onion and tomatoes to throw inside. She stirred the concoction and took a sip, licking her lips and whispering how good a job she'd done.

The rain had died down by the time they all sat down for dinner, and they all ate in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Tohru asked Yuki how the garden was, and he would reply back. Then, Shigure would be asked how his novel was, and he'd shrink in his cushion and say he was almost partly halfway done with the first chapter. When Kyo would ask how he could possibly be so behind, in a cranky tone thanks to the weather, Shigure locked his mouth shut with stars in his eyes. The teens shook their heads, understanding all too well that he became enthralled in one of us "special magazines" hidden in his study.

Kyo and Yuki sweat-dropped as Tohru kept herself unresponsive and took another quiet slurp of her soup.

When dinner was cleaned up and dishes were clean and put away, the teens went up to their rooms to do their homework. And what that means is, Kyo kept himself away from everything on the roof, Yuki stayed in his room and made future preparations for his garden in the woods, and Tohru studied for an upcoming test on Tuesday.

She was a little glad that today was Friday.

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><p>Kyo stared up at the sky, his head resting atop his hands and his red eyes darting from one section of stars to another, and then the moon. It was so bright; he had to squint his eyes just to make out a distorted round, bright object hanging over his head. There wasn't a cloud in the sky after the earlier rain, but he could feel in his very bones that it was going to rain tomorrow. He felt warn out already.<p>

_What's worse_ he sighed, closing his eyes, _is that I'll be in a bad mood the entire time, and when I am I always yell at Tohru without meaning to… I've got to work on that._

"Kyo, are you up here?" Tohru's voice croaked as she climbed up the ladder and stood on the last step, looking at him with a cheery smile on her face. He called out that he was and sat up as she got up herself. She crept over, wearing her yellow pajamas, and sat beside him. He rested on his elbow, and she rested on his upper muscle. He flexed it and listened to her melodious giggle as they looked at the sky together.

"You feel alright? Your cheeks are red; did you study too hard?" Kyo's voice held a slight reprimanding tone, and his girl flinched slightly. He frowned and mouthed a sorry as he kissed her flushed cheek. It was warm. "You probably shouldn't study so much, stupid, or you'll faint and get sick again."

Tohru smiled at him, giggling as his breath lingered on her face. "Oh, I know that, don't worry. That's one of the reasons I came out here. I needed a bit of a break; I was starting to get a little dizzy."

Kyo nodded and stretched his arm out, resting his hand on her shoulder and smiling at her. She scooted a little closer, being careful not to bump chests or he'd transform. She'd already done that countless times this week, being the klutz she was, and had to cover it up with jumbled excuses like "Oh, Kyo went to the bathroom, uh…" and "Kyo's… practicing his magic again! He's really good at the disappearing trick". Maybe she wasn't air-headed, she was just sorting out excuses to cover up the curse that has locked away his fate and thrown away the key…

He shook his head and shifted his eyes back to the sky. _She's as much an air head as she is a good cook._

"Tomorrow we're supposed to get rain. Shigure told me," Tohru cut through the silence, looking up at the moon. She could see the curve of her mother's smile, and immediately looked in another direction. Kyo nodded, sighing gruffly through his nose. _Knew it_,he rolled his eyes and lay beside her, closing his eyes. Tohru smiled and closed her eyes, snuggling closer to the Cat and sighing contentedly.

_And tomorrow, before I start the chores_ the girl thought, still in the shallow depths of consciousness, _I can study a little more for the algebra test._ That thought in mind, she drifted off to dreamland with her Cat lying beside her.

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><p><em>Are you confused as to what to do next? Well, reviewing would be greatly appreciated. Virtual hugs are fun, too. But, most of all, cake. Not virtual. REAL cake. <em>((I don't want to hear any "THECAKEISALIE" crap...))

_OKAIBAINAO~_

*heart* _Cookie_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Tohru woke up the moment the sun rose, wrapped up in a blanket. She sat up and looked around; she wasn't in her bedroom, but instead Kyo's. Instead of her satin pajama top resting loosely against her chest, she had one of Kyo's T-shirts on, and she flushed red. "K-Kyo? Are you in here?" When there was no answer, she quickly got up from the bed. She looked on the chair adjacent to the door and saw her top hanging over it, looking wet. She reached over and touched it, confirming her idea that it was soaked through, and she looked outside.

It had begun raining.

She looked down to see herself in a pair of loose pants tied tightly around her small waist. Apparently, she was completely clothed in Kyo's clothes, and she flushed redder. She pressed her hands to her face and sighed, walking out in as calm a manner as she could, and went downstairs.

Yuki was sitting on the bottom stair, his feet pulled to his chest and his blue hair soaked. She walked quicker and looked over him. "Yuki, are you okay? Did you go out in the rain?"

Said boy looked at her slowly and got off the stair, touching his hair. "Yes, I did, Miss Honda. I'm fine, I covered the Secret Base to make sure it wouldn't get flooded over. There's a flood warning, you know." His voice was quiet and incredibly raspy, and she touched his forehead. "Is something wrong?" he blinked at her, and she smiled in that way she always did that made even his heart flutter.

"Yuki, maybe I should make you some hot tea, okay? Your forehead is a little warm, and I don't want you getting a cold, so I'll go start the water now."

"Thank you, Miss Honda." She smiled at him and headed out into the kitchen, and he followed after her. "Oh, and the Cat wanted me to let you know he went out and would be back later. He said there was something he had to do before the day was through." She nodded and filled the tea kettle, placing it on the stove and turning it on Medium.

"Oh, thank _you_. And you're welcome." She looked away, making a pouty face as if she was in deep thought, and Yuki chuckled and spun on his heel, headed back over to the stairs. She shook her head, confused at her own words, and sat on a cushion at the table.

As the morning dragged on, and lunchtime came in a flash, Tohru found herself preparing lunch. The rain had died down to a light sprinkle, so Yuki went to check on his garden and perhaps bring things home. Shigure had to made a quick stop into town to drop off a letter to the mailbox and promised to be home before it started raining again. Kyo still wasn't back yet, and that worried the brunette.

She ate her grilled cheese and tomato sandwich alone, saving three for her housemates.

Another hour rolled by, and there was still no sign of Shigure, Yuki, nor Kyo, and Tohru was pacing around the house. She hadn't a lot of experience pacing, but she moved from the kitchen, to the living room, to the hallway upstairs, to her bedroom, and even on the roof. Which, she regretted, because it had started down-pouring again. Even worse, there was occasional thunder and lightning, and she was afraid of lightning.

A loud 'Boom!' shook the ground under her, and she ran back into the kitchen with a loud scream. She covered her heart with one hand and scrambled over to make sure every appliance was off and cooled down. A strong wind blew a branch at the window, and she ran to the opposite wall, falling on her knees. "Whose idea was it to leave an air head like me alone for more than an hour on a rainy day?" her voice wavered as she asked herself, and she sat down at the table, covering her ears and shutting her eyes as a bright flash of lightning appeared out of the corner of her eye.

She bit back another scream.

When she was sure the thunder was moving away, she got back up and went into the kitchen to make sure a window wasn't smashed in or anything (with her being so afraid, she couldn't tell breaking glass from one of her own whimpers). When all seemed well, she heard a crackle outside and figured it was Yuki and Shigure coming back. She ran at the door, and prepared to shout happily of their arrival.

She swung the door open and only got a "Hey, y…" out before she realized the crack she heard was a tree cracking and headed straight for the house. She slammed the door and couldn't find the strength and motivation to yell at herself to run, and just as she found her voice, the tree came slamming down into the house and she let out a loud, terrified scream.

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><p>"I still don't get why you had to drag me to your special '<em>backroom<em>' sale," Yuki mumbled, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk ahead of them. The rain had calmed down a little, enough that they could see the road in front of them, but it was still wet and humid outside.

He hoped Tohru was alright, being home by herself for as long as she was.

"Oh, Yuki, when will you learn that girls wait for sales on shoes while men _my_ age-group wait for 'backroom' sales? Come now, we have no time to discuss this anyway. We have to get back to our little flower."

Yuki growled under his breath and continued walking a little faster.

When they got to the pathway leading up to their house, they heard a loud screech rattle the trees around them. It took a minute for Yuki's brain to register that the scream had come in the direction of their house, and he ran immediately the way up, Shigure not far behind him.

The scene in front of them made Yuki gasp in terror. He scrambled forward, his foot catching on a broken branch and he fell on the cobblestone path.

"My… my _house_…" Shigure gasped, and he gaped at the tree. "No…" he looked up, seeing a puff of smoke from the hole in the front of the house. An amber flame danced in his vision and a crash from inside made him snap to attention.

"What the _hell_ is going on around here?"

As Shigure bound toward the house, Yuki turned around to look at Kyo. "Hm. It figures you'd be getting back. And I know as much as you, so there's no reason to raise your…"

"T-Tohru!" Kyo ignored the Rat's lecture and ran forward as Shigure carried an unconscious Tohru on his back. He was in his dog form and was having trouble carrying the girl. Kyo looked around, panicked, and tore a sheet from the clothes line, wrapping her in it. A clap of thunder echoed above the group, and Kyo stared at Tohru's unconscious form. "I… I _knew_ I shouldn't have left her here… if _you_ didn't have to go to your _stupid_ garden, she'd still be…" he couldn't bring himself to look anywhere but at the scrape alone Tohru's collar bone, her blouse ripped. He picked her up; making sure the cloth covered her so they weren't necessarily touching.

Yuki glared at Kyo, but knew better than to argue back when there was still an unconscious girl to be dealt with. "You'll pay for that, stupid Cat, but first we have to get Miss Honda to the hospital. Who wants to tell her grandfather about this?"

"Worse than that," Shigure cut in, having transformed and re-clothed, "Who's going to tell Momiji, or Kisa? I can tell the grandfather, that's fine… but one of you two has to tell…"

"Not it." Kyo turned his head and started back down the cobblestone path, walking in fast paced strides and breaking into a trot once he met the road. Shigure put a finger to his nose, and he and Yuki glared at each other before the Rat rolled his eyes and started forward. Shigure grinned triumphantly, and the pair broke into a run after Kyo.

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><p><em>Right... so I guess I'm alright with it. This is where we're introduced to the conflict, sort of. Or at least it's a segue to the conflict. ^^ I hope you like it, please stay tuned for more!<em>

_Expect an update sometime next week!_

_~Cookie_


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Doctors working at the hospital weren't very helpful. At least not as helpful as childhood shows and movies portrayed.

Between the three Sohma's, the entire waiting room was like their territory. Shigure stayed within a four-to-seven chair vicinity, Yuki paced around said vicinity, and Kyo just couldn't seem to stand still. Kyo and Yuki had spared several glances, but couldn't find it in themselves to hate each other right now.

Kyo cringed and finally crashed into a chair as exhaustion overcame him, and he blew his orange bangs out of his face. Yuki crashed in the chair to his left, and Shigure to his right. "Don't worry, Kyo," Shigure's voice sounded inappropriately confident, and the orange-haired boy looked up tiredly. "Tohru's strong-willed and will be just fine. She's probably collapsed from smoke inhalation, or hit her head."

"That's right," Yuki said more to himself than with Shigure. "She's been through a lot of bad messes and has turned out just fine. She might not be stubborn, but she's got a lot she still has to do. She has a strong resolve for getting things done."

Kyo grumbled something unintelligible and buried his face in his hands. _They're right_, he thought to himself as he leaned back and found himself staring out the window. _She'd never go as easily as this when the house is completely trashed_.

A doctor opened the door 3—E, with a pair of glasses falling down the bridge of his nose and his eyes locked on the clipboard in his hands. A pencil sits on his ear, and his brown, shaggy hair rests atop the top of his ears. He walks in and stands beside the bedside of a young girl.

He started at her feet; although covered by the white blanket, he could tell she had at least sprained her ankle by the way it was twisted away from the other foot. As he moved up, he could tell that her legs were terribly tense and were spread from each other. He moved to her shoulders, the only visible part of her body, and worked his way down each one of her arms. They were both scratched, and along the small cracks in her skin where he guess splinters were hiding and splints of wood sliced her skin, there were mild burns along the surface of her skin. He would have to wrap her arms in gauze and bandage to make sure she didn't stress out the already damaged skin. Her neck and head didn't look too damaged, but her cheeks were flushed red and sweat drizzled down the point of her chin and down her neck. Her eyes looked as if she was in pain.

A nurse walked in, clothed in a white uniform and a nurse's cap. "Doctor Simmons, we have the pain relievers you asked for."

He nodded and two more nurses accompanied the first. One started to disinfect the cuts on the girl's arms as another readied an IV. The third stood beside the doctor, her short blonde hair flowing elegantly over her cheekbones and her fierce brown eyes staring at the girl. "Her name is Tohru Honda," she said with a gentle smile on her face. "She's the child of Kyoko, and has been living with a Shigure Sohma and his two younger cousins, Kyo and Yuki. The three are sitting in the waiting room right now, waiting for word on Miss Honda."

He nodded again, scribbling something onto the clipboard and hanging it over her bed.

"Before now," the nurse continued on, "she has seen a Doctor in the Sohma family, Hatori Sohma. I wonder why they couldn't go there instead of here, not that I'm complaining. If she's Kyoko Honda's daughter, she won't be the easiest person to convince to stay. She's stubborn, if she's anything like her mother; she'd prefer to keep herself moving, even if it's against our orders, just to get the chores done."

Again, staying silent, the doctor nodded. The nurse smiled and walked out the door while the doctor took a seat beside Tohru. _Tohru Honda_, he thought, folding his hands in front of his mouth and giving her strange looks. Even though she couldn't see him, her eyes looked fearful under her closed lids. _Is the reality of your physical pain overlapping with the emotional pain you've been feeling for almost 2 years?_

Kyo had finally fallen asleep in the middle of the night. A nurse had come out and allowed the trio to stay the night, but warned that they couldn't do this again. Shigure flirtatiously thanked the woman, only to be smacked in the back of the head by the Rat and shown a silver ring by the woman. He cried melodramatic tears while Yuki conversed with Tohru's nurse.

"Her condition is stable now, but she will have to stay for about a week so we can be sure she stays that way. She collapsed from smoke inhalation, and her vocal chords were stressed and red, signaling she had screamed an awful lot before she finally fainted. We assume the damage to the outside of her body was an accident, considering her condition when she entered. She's doing better but hasn't woken up yet, but you're welcome to stay in that room with her for tonight and possibly tomorrow if you're lucky."

Yuki nodded at the blonde nurse, who smiled and explained she was in Room 3—E. The dark haired Rat nodded and walked over to Shigure to tell him the news. Moments later, the trio reached the room, Kyo being carried by Shigure and Yuki inhumanly nervous to see her condition. He never trusted public hospitals and wasn't sure how much different they'd treat her from Hitori. He sighed and pushed through the door, freezing as he stared at a sleeping Tohru.

_Well_, he snuck a look at her rising chest and look at her clenched jaw; _at least we know she's alive. Her cuts and burns on her arms are also looking better._

Shigure placed the sleeping Cat on the sofa by the window and took a place at the table across from the bed, watching his sleeping friend. Kyo winced at the change in temperature of the room, as the hospital room was a great deal chillier than the waiting room. Yuki threw the cat a sideways glance and then walked over to Tohru to brush some hair away from her face. At his touch, Tohru's body tensed a little and Yuki retracted his hand quickly. He walked over to the Dog with a frown on his face, and in silence the Dog and Rat watched their flower sleep.

"You have a choice, Yuki," Shigure spoke quietly as not to wake Tohru, "You can either go to school or visit the Sohma house and explain what has happened to Momiji and Kisa. Of course, going to school might not be a better choice either, because you'll have to do deal with Tohru's little friends… Uo and Hana, I believe their names are?"

At the names, Kyo's eyes shot open and he sat up in a fit of gasps. "The Yankee and Psychic? Do we gotta tell them? That damned Yankee will blame me for this whole stupid thing, and Hana will try to use her powers to make sure I'm telling the truth by sensing my 'signals'. Shi_gure_!"

The Dog only smiled. "I take it you'd rather go to the Sohma house then, Kyo?"

"Like hell!" he argued a little louder than he'd meant, and he cringed. A nurse shushed him through the window beside the door. "I don't wanna have to tell that annoying little Rabbit that Tohru got hurt. And… no thanks to any of us."

A dark cloud hovered over their heads as they bowed their heads apologetically.

"I shouldn't have left for the entire day without telling her…" Kyo admitted.

"Well, it was no better of me to browse the 'backroom' sale at the Comic Book store in town," Shigure sighed, scratching behind his neck and sweat-dropping as both Kyo and Yuki glared at him.

Yuki kept his eyes locked on the ground. "And, if I hadn't gone to check on the garden _or_ let myself get dragged to that sale, I could've been home in time to save her…"

The sun sank behind the buildings across the street, and Shigure found himself transformed and sleeping at the foot of Tohru's bed. Kyo, also transformed, was laying at her side, curled up with tears burning his eyes, which were shut tightly to keep the tears locked in. Yuki, having surprisingly kept himself calm and not yet transformed, slept on the couch with a nervous expression on his already stoic face. _Miss Honda… I'm so sorry._

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><p><em>Isn't this nice? We get the tiniest preview of what's to come in the next chapter. And all while I'm swamped with other crap! Yay! <em>:D

_...no. Okay. Well, I hope you liked this installment nonetheless! Stay tuned for more!_

_~Cookie_


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Shigure had woken up before either Kyo or Yuki and had gotten re-clothed before a nurse could walk in. He used the shower in the bathroom and got back into his olive-green kimono, fixing his hair into a small ponytail. His hair had grown long enough to be easily pulled into a ponytail with a few strands sticking out underneath. He walked out to see Kyo tightening the belt to his khaki pants. He smiled a 'Good morning' and Kyo sent him a glare that read 'What's good about it, stupid Dog?' Yuki, at this time, woke up with his hair disheveled and a shine of drool on the side of his chin. Shigure kept the goofy grin off of his face long enough for Yuki to take his turn in the shower.

"I take it you're also going to school?" Shigure asked Kyo, who rubbed his hair into place and nodded slowly, still tired. The Dog sat at the table across from the bed and Kyo sat beside Tohru on the bed.

A half-hour later, Yuki stalked out of the bathroom fully bathed and in his school uniform. Kyo had to ask the office for a new one and was fully prepared but not very enthusiastic about getting a lecture on how the uniform was purchased and was supposed to be cared for as if it clothed royalty.

Kyo's cat ears popped up out of his ears and flattened at the thought of it.

Yuki sat at the other side of the table with a sad smile on his face and his eyes narrowed in thought. "Tohru was always the first awake and had breakfast on the stove by the time we all woke up…"

Kyo and Shigure sighed in unison, and Yuki cleared his throat and looked at the clock. There was an hour and fifteen minutes before the first bell rang at the school. The Rat straightened and waved the Cat over to walk with him. "If we walk quickly, we'll have enough time to do some homework before classes _and_ find Uo and Hana. Maybe we'll get a chance to tell them what happened before they demand it."

Kyo shuddered; the last thing he wanted to do was tell Tohru's Yankee friend that he wasn't there with her yesterday and that's one of the reasons she was unconscious in the hospital. He stood with his body tense, and when he and Yuki embarked on their journey to school, he walked unusually slow. But Yuki wasn't complaining, because he was right there with him.

A nurse walked in with a tray of food for both Shigure and Tohru and two little cups of apple juice. He obliged and wheeled the tray the rest of the way toward his friend, and sat at the foot of her bed. For breakfast, the hospital offered scrambled eggs and sausage, still steaming from the early morning. He took a bite of the sausage, wincing as it burned the top of his mouth, and he downed the juice in no time at all. He fanned his mouth with his sleeve, and a nurse folded her hands over each other and eyed the man with a worried expression. "Is something wrong? Will you or Miss Honda need anything else?"

Shigure shook his head, swallowing and smacking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "I don't believe so. Thank you," he watched the nurse walk out of the room, gluing his eyes to her bottom. _I might've found something better than high school girls_ a perverted smirk etched itself into his face, and he tore his eyes away from the nurse to look at his brunette friend lying in bed.

Kyo and Yuki got to school a good half-hour before the first bell rang, and they took off to different locations. Yuki headed for the library to work on homework, and Kyo headed right for his locker to drop off his things. He and Tohru had lockers a row away from each other, and he looked over, expecting to see her bright smile. He frowned and kicked a pebble, remembering she was at the hospital. He pounded his fist against his cranium. _Get ahold of yourself. The less arguing and complaining you do, the faster the day will go, and you'll be able to get back to Tohru_.

He dug his hands in his pockets and started out into the main hallway. Eventually, he made it to his first class of the day and walked in, slinging his backpack on the ground. Leaning on the windowsill was Uo, dressed in her normal blue uniform shirt and long blue skirt. Kyo sighed and walked around the row of desks to get to his and sat down. Uo noticed his presence and sat atop his desk. "Hey there, Carrot Top, where's your friend?"

Hana walked through the door of class with her black hair twisted into a braid, which was hanging over her deep violet clothing. She set her black bag over the desk beside Kyo, and sunk in his chair. She knew something was wrong, and he _knew_ she knew. He gulped and scoffed. "You mean that damned Yuki? He's running around here somewhere, probably hiding from his stupid little fan club." _So far, so good…_

"Where is Tohru this morning?" Hana inquired, her voice monotone and her dark eyes glued on Kyo. He wasn't sure what possessed him to look at her after she asked, but when he did, he almost pissed himself.

"Well… she's, uhh…" he tried to look away, but their electric 'signals' mixed, and soon enough she had the Cat in her clutches. He swallowed very audibly and muttered "…in the hosp-hmmhmm…"

Uo blinked and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end; had she just heard that idiot right? Was _her_ Tohru in the HOSPITAL? She grabbed him by the collar of the shirt and growled in his face. "What do you mean, she's in the _hospital_? What the hell happened!"

Kyo shrunk in his desk, being overpowered by a dark, ominous cloud and Uo's intense, enraged glare beating down on his head. He sputtered, "It's not like _I_ put her there, ya damn Yankee! I left for the morning and to visit the family house, and came back to the house being completely destroyed and engulfed in flames! I-It's not my fault or nothing like that!"

Emotion finally reached Hana's eyes, which had started tearing up. "Is Tohru alright? She's never had the best lungs in the world; on the border of asthmatic." Kyo nodded, and Hana wiped a tear, being pulled into Uo's arms as they both stood absolutely shaken, hiding the fact that they were crying. Uo looked back at Kyo, who had noticed that Yuki had finally caught up with the group.

"Miss Hanajima, Miss Uotani! What's going on?" the Prince looked over at Kyo, who was looking away with a pained look on his face. "He told you, didn't he? Such an idiot. Tohru's fine, we checked on her this morning. She's breathing fine, and the scrapes on her arms are doing better as well. She doesn't look as sickly as she did yesterday, so we're hoping she wakes up by this evening. We were hoping and expecting you both to join us in greeting her when she wakes up."

Hana and Uo both nodded and the bell rang. A bunch of students scrambled through the doorway, and the teacher not far behind. Yuki sat in the back, diagonal from Kyo. Hana sat beside Uo, who sat in front of Kyo, who was too busy blaming himself to care that there was a pop quiz.

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><p><em>Ah.. sorry, this update was pushed forward a day or two, because I -<em>**yes, I. Don't give me that look, I'm not scrawny or anything**_- reinstalled my WiFi, so we now have it~! _:D

_I digress. I worked sorta hard on editing this again, but if there's anything wrong or bad, please review with some CC. It helps me a lot when I get criticism and not just "Whoa! I, liek, luv dis storey" (Say it like that, I hunt you down)._

_'til next time!_

_~Cookie_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

School was unbelievably slow and had finally ended when Kyo thought he was going to go absolutely crazy. The entire school day, the Cat found himself thinking about Tohru; the curve of her smile, the small squeak she made every time he grabbed her hand, and the sweet, melodious sound of her voice. The longer the day dragged on, the more he found himself thinking about her, and the less he paid attention to what promised him a future. After dropping off his books and picking up his jacket and backpack, he walked to the hospital.

Hana and Uo took no time getting their things and joining him and Yuki on the walk. To Kyo's disappointment, there were dark clouds hanging overhead, but he was sure it wasn't going to rain. Just in case, he kept himself standing tall and tough like always, keeping his red eyes locked on the target ahead of him.

Hana and Uo soon found themselves conversing quietly to each other instead of asking and prodding more at the subject currently keeping the Sohma boys quiet. Hana had unbraided her hair, it flowing well past her bottom, and Uo had dug her hands in her jacket pockets, whispering rather loudly how her poor Tohru shouldn't have been left alone in the middle of a thunderstorm. Much against his will, Kyo heard every damned word that spewed out of their mouths.

In a matter of ten minutes, they made it to the hospital. Yuki guided Hana and Uo through the doors and toward the ultimate hospital shopping experience and Kyo ran up the spiral-esque staircase to check on Tohru's condition before he went back to get food. He reached the top of the stairs and dug his hands in his khaki pockets, walking worriedly with his head bowed down. He ducked away from nurses and avoided any conversation in hopes of buying time to see her.

When he finally got to her room, he couldn't help but grin just a little (not like he'd admit it) when he saw a small group of people waiting outside.

"Kyo~!" a little blond boy danced up to him, tackling him in a giant hug. He flinched and wiggled the best he could away from Momiji. "I heard poor Tohru was in the hospital and rushed right over! The rest of us are here, too, Kyo!"

The Cat looked around him to see the Dragon, the Tiger, the Sheep, the Snake, and the Cow. He and Hatsuharu glared at each other for what seemed like hours before a nurse walked through the door. The Dog, who was leaning closer to the door, looked at the nurse worriedly. "So, how is our Tohru?"

The blonde-haired nurse smiled at Shigure and combed a piece of her fine hair behind her ear. "She's starting to respond to voices a little more; we're thinking she'll wake up before the night is over. What we fear is that she'll be extremely nervous with a ton of people in there, so unless she trusts you all with her very life, I suggest a few at a time. Unfortunately, Mr. Sohma, we don't have the room to keep you here overnight again…"

Hana, Uo, and Yuki came upstairs only to be pummeled by Momiji, who was busy explaining everything as he heard them. "…so you've got to find another place you can stay. I'm sorry; if we had the room, you could borrow a room for the night."

Shigure nodded curtly, and pushed through the door, allowing Hitori the first entrance so that he may look at her to see her condition before allowing more people in. Shigure waited outside, waiting the clearance to go in. Five more minutes passed, and Hitori opened the door, ushering all of the Sohma's and Tohru's two friends inside. "Don't crowd her," he ordered, glaring at Kyo and Momiji especially, and shut the door. "The last thing we want is a meltdown when she completely wakes up."

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><p>Tohru's head was spinning.<p>

The last thing she remembered was hearing a crack outside the house. She was so excited, thinking it was one of the three Sohma's she was residing with, but was terrified when she opened the door and found out that it was really a tree. She had screamed, covering her face and ducking in the corner, tears streaming down her face. The last thing she remembered feeling was a sharp pinch, and all of the air being pushed out of her, and then everything was hazy after that.

The memory itself was hazy.

She let out a soft moan of discomfort, and felt a pair of hands grip her shoulders and sit her up. She recognized the touch and inwardly smiled when Hitori's voice cut through a very heavy silence in her room. In a short moment, she was trying to open her eyes, but found it difficult when she found the sun shining right in her vision. Her fingers clenched the blanket around her, regaining the consciousness steadily but very dizzy. A kind voice spoke, soft and concerned, and she moved her head over to Kisa's silhouette, distorted under the clouded vision under her eyelashes.

"Tohru?" the sweet, childlike voice of Momiji spoke, and she smiled and opened her eyes a little more to make out his yellow hair and brown eyes. "Are you waking up now? You're okay?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but coughed ever so lightly. The more she opened her eyes, the more people she saw in her room, and the more she came to realize she wasn't in the Sohma house anymore. She tried to talk again, this time with a soft squeak from lack of speaking, "H-Hello, everyone," she opened her eyes a little more and smiled at the group of people standing around her with worried expressions. "It's nice to see you all again."

Kisa and Momiji came forward. Kisa had shiny tears falling down her face and she grabbed Tohru's hand, crying into it. Tohru watched, her own eyes stinging with tears, and Momiji folded his hands behind his back. He flashed a smile at her, and she returned it, though it was a little malformed from the tears that were flowing down her own face and sprinkling over the white blanket. It wasn't until a few more Sohma's came forward that she realized it hurt to cry.

"We're so glad you woke up when you did, Tohru," Haru said as he stepped to one side to let more people come in. "When Kyo told us what happened, about half of us came sprinting over while the other half got a house ready for you at the Estate." He smiled, and Tohru sniffled, wiping her eyes with the top of her hands. A soft hand rested on her knee under the blanket, and she looked up to see Uo. Anything Haru said after that was completely and accidentally ignored when both Uo and Hana surrounded the girl in a tight hug.

Hitori ushered Momiji, Kisa, and Haru out and ordered they keep themselves busy until sun down. The three reluctantly left with happy shouts of farewell to Tohru, and she waved with a shaky, bandaged hand and cried into her friends' arms. She felt a rush of relief and safety overcome her, and she sniffled back a few more tears. Uo looked at her with a concerned look in her eyes, and sat on the bed at her side. Tohru leaned on her as Hana got comfortable on the other side, grabbing the fragile girl's hand and squeezing comfortingly. She looked at her extended family and looked worriedly at Yuki and Shigure. "You guys, too? Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys worry…"

"That doesn't matter," Yuki started forward, resting his hands on the plastic piece at the end of her bed, sending her one of the most pathetic looks she was sure she'd ever seen. "It was wrong of us to have left you at the house alone; we should've known it was going to start thundering and lightning that day. It's more our fault than it is yours, Miss Honda."

_How silly_, Tohru thought, looking down as she knew she couldn't possibly find it in herself to argue back, _after all we've been through, he still doesn't call me just 'Tohru'._

The tears irked her face, but she shook them away the best she could. Hana and Uo wrapped their arms around her back to comfort her, and she looked further down the line to see Ayame prodding and pestering Shigure. He stopped and turned to her, his long silver hair swinging as he ran forward to grab her chin flirtatiously, "Oh, my little flower, I sincerely hope they're treating you well here."

She smiled, nodding. "Yes, Ayame, they're treating me alright. Not any worse or better than how I'm treated by Hitori, maybe a little less sensitive, but that's okay because they have to deal with other patients."

Ayame flashed his famous smile before pulling out a bouquet of flowers, placing them in a marble vase sitting on the windowsill. Tohru looked over, her blue eyes wide with astonishment as she saw pink and white balloons around the window. She smiled and watched him leave gracefully. Yuki sighed, rolling his eyes at his older brother, and walked around to sit at the foot of her bed.

"You're sure you're okay?" he asked.

"Yes, Yuki, I'm okay." She nodded surely.

He nodded and got back up, patting her foot which was sticking up under the blanket, and turning to follow his brother out. The only friends that remained in the room was Shigure, Hitori, Hana and Uo. She looked out the window, knowing that she was in no condition to go out and find Kyo, but something was telling her that he'd want to know she was awake.

Shigure read her mind and got up. "I'll go and look for Kyo," he said with a sigh, looking over at the brunette as she leaned on the pillows holding her in her sitting-up position. "He's bound to be sulking on the roof, or in the cafeteria or something. I'll be right back; do you want anything from the cafeteria, Tohru or ladies?"

"I'll take a slice of pizza," Uo said with a smile. Hana and Tohru both said they didn't need or want anything, and Shigure left.

Hitori sat on the couch and unfolded a newspaper from his jacket pocket and glanced over articles with a bored expression. "You'd best get your rest, Tohru. Kyo will most likely be in a mopey mood when he comes by, and you'll need to be able to stay awake. Don't worry, I'll wake you when he gets back."

And, almost immediately, Tohru fell asleep sandwiched comfortably between Uo and Hana.

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><p>*nodnod* <em>I like the part of Tohru waking up, but not the first part.. when everyone is showing up. I'unno why.<em>

_Anyway, here's the fifth installment: Chapter 4. Updates will be slow now, because I'm (once again) catching up to the point where I am actually writing. (A part I actually LIKE. _XD;_) Anyway, I hope you liked it._

_~Cookie_


	6. Chapter 5

_I can't even really begin to apologize for the lateness of this. Sadly, however, I haven't been inspired for this story, so it's still on hiatus. I just think you deserved to know a bit more of the plot. So, here you go. Please review!_

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Kyo watched the sun sink behind the mountain in slow motion, staring at it as the intense reds and yellows sunk and the blue-violet swept through the sky. The street lamps along the parking lot of the hospital flickered in protest to being put out, and chuckles erupted from the broad chests of a few maintenance workers. It hadn't been too long since he'd left the Sohma clan and Tohru's two crazy friends to reunite with her. He hated not seeing her for as long as he did, but considering he wasn't the only one who cared about her… He stretched on his spot on the bench in front of the main entrance.

He snuck a peak at his watch; it was well after 12:30AM, and something tugged on his heart. What if she woke up while he was away, and by the time he got back down to her room, she fell back asleep? He had to apologize to her, and tell her how much she meant to him… He should've seen this coming! It always happens after he shows his true form to the people he cares about. They promise to accept him, and then BOOM! Something happens that may break them apart. What if she doesn't want him anymore?

_Oh, shit. Please not that…_ he pushed himself up with his hands, swinging slightly as he stared at the crescent moon in front of him. A star twinkled in his vision, and he turned around to stalk back into the hospital with his hands buried deep in his pockets. He brushed past nurses and families pushing the opposite way. _I can't bear losing Tohru after all that's happened…_

He skipped a few steps, and took large steps up the staircase. He skipped two, then three, then four stairs; he tripped on his attempt to skip the remaining five and tripping on his way up. He straightened to compose himself, brushing a hand through his hair, and broke into a jog toward Tohru's room.

"Sir, visitation hours passed well over four hours ago. I need you to step towards the exit so we can get our patients ready for…"

Kyo pushed past the nurse, breaking out into a run as he rounded the corner that would put him closer to Tohru's room. The nurse shouted "Sir!" once more before storming off. Kyo smirked triumphantly and skidded to a stop in front of his girl's room. He reached out to grab the door knob, but couldn't himself to walk inside for fear of seeing her in worse condition. _What if_… he thought to himself, looking down and resting his head on the door, biting his lip _…looking back at this, she decides I'm not the best for her? What if…_ he clenched his hand into a fist and punched the door lightly, _…Akito gets to her like he did to Hari's old girlfriend?_

He tightened his hold on the doorknob, sifting through the worst scenarios in his head. Maybe he was overthinking it. He had a tendency to do that… _But… what if I'm not?_

"Oh, Kyo!" a voice called from behind him, and he turned around to look at Shigure. "I was just looking for you! Go on in, Tohru's woken up and is probably waiting for you."

Kyo's face lit up a little, but it was still evident that he was a little worried to go through the door. As he turned the knob to enter the room, his hand shook and he almost turned on his heel if not for Shigure staying put right behind him. With a gentle shove and a noise of retaliation from the Cat, he stepped inside, hesitantly, and noticed Tohru was looking out the window. It was a little inappropriate, actually, that he thought to himself how the lighting of the full moon illuminated her pale face and made her oceanic eyes glisten. Her hair was splayed onto her pillow, as she was partially lying down, but when she heard the door open she immediately turned her head to greet who it was.

"Kyo," she said with a smile, as if she hadn't been expecting him to come in. The orange-haired boy grinned a little in relief of her waking and took large strides to her bed, grabbing her hand. Tohru smiled and squeezed his hand slightly, signaling him that she was okay. "I'm so happy you came, I hope I didn't worry you too much… I'm sorry."

_There she goes again…_ Kyo shook his head and slowly brought his forehead to hers, their noses touching. "Don't be stupid, of course I was worried. I wasn't sure if you'd wake up or not…" The sudden hitch of her breath signaled she might start crying soon, so to stop it he brought his lips to her forehead and breathed a puffed sigh onto her skin. She shut her eyes as he replaced his lips with his forehead and brought his hand behind her head, cradling it. "I was… scared, too."

"S-Scared?" there it was again… that hitch, that sharp intake of breath, her lips parting. Aw, crap… he was going to make her cry. Quickly, he let out a small chuckle… but she wasn't convinced that it was okay. "K-Kyo, I… I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you…" the soft patter of tears on the sheet confirmed his fear, and he used the pads of his fingers to massage the back of her head as a means of comfort. The tears didn't cease, and neither had her more ragged breathing.

_Why do I gotta go and do that? _Kyo thought helplessly as Tohru scooted over to let him rest beside her. He obliged, allowing her face to be buried in the crook of his neck. He held her there, breathing sweet nothings into her ear. _Why do I hafta go and make her cry all the damned time?_ The Cat watched her legs bend and she pressed herself into his arm, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he felt her lips tremble on his skin, and she hiccupped as her arms wrapped around his arm. "Aw, c'mon, Tohru. You don't hafta cry like this… it's okay now."

And, although she nodded, she couldn't stop herself from chewing on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

Outside, Shigure and Hatori leaned heavily on the chain link fence closing off the hospital from the parking lot. Hatori had a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth as Shigure stared impatiently into the moonlit pond across the street. It was truly beautiful… he had a pond like that in the backyard of his…

Oh, the agony, his poor house. (As if it had seen better days anyways. Especially when Kagura came over, or Yuki and Kyo started their little "spar" matches.)

"I'm sure you know already why I'm actually here, isn't that right?" Hatori's low baritone voice seemed to echo in the writer's – ahem, novelist's – ear, and he acknowledged with a soft noise of approval and a nod. "I'm thinking of taking Tohru back to the Sohma estate… to have her rest at my office. Akito will not know of her arrival."

"I see," Shigure said after a moment, the breeze blowing his hair back and making his eyes glisten. "I suppose I have no further complaints, but there is one thing we seem to have overlooked, Hari. Most of the cursed family is male, therefore we can't risk carrying Tohru inside without someone transforming. And we need all the diversion we can get. With Haru and Kagura setting up a place for Kyo, Yuki, and I to sleep, we can't ask them. What did you suggest we do?"

The Dragon made a noise in his throat as if he was lost in thought, but soon became a sigh of slight irritation when a blur of red and silver obscured his vision. _This won't turn out well…_ The open arms of the Snake spun into the Dragon and Dog's visions, but their reactions were very different. Shigure grinned, as if Ayame's presence was the answer to their problems, but Hatori shook his head.

"Why don't we just ask Mine to carry her~?" his deep voice boomed cheerily, putting a finger into the air and batting his olive-green eyes. "After all, she isn't part of the Zodiac, and Tohru would probably feel better if a woman carried her~"

Shigure nodded. "If you can call Mine, that would be great. We want to get her out as soon as possible, Aya. Thank you~"

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, 'Gure~!" And, with that, Ayame flitted off with extended arms, gracefully running toward town to his Costume shop. The Dog and Dragon shook their heads, a grin on one face and a nonchalant frown on the other.

_I'm glad we have someone like Aya who has people he can call upon at a moment's notice._

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><p><em>Aren't I glad I finally got this up... jeez. I thought I had uploaded it, but I realized I didn't. Feedback would be great! If anyone wants to help plan the next few chapters (pretty much an arc-let of getting Tohru into the Sohma residence without Akito finding out.)<em>

_Also, this is anime-verse, strictly. So, since there is no horse or rooster described in the anime, we'll need two new characters. Perhaps one can be close to Akito, thus poses a problem for those keeping Tohru safe. Hm. Plot bunnies are running around my head. _-_-

_~Cookie_


	7. Chapter 6

_Wow... okay, um... it's been quite a while since I've uploaded anything for this story. Honestly, I've been so wrapped-up in the Vampire Knight series, I hadn't the motivation to work on anything but._

_However, I promised a new upload by the end of the month -cutting it a bit close, aren't I?- and here it is. I'm sorry it's so much shorter than the other chapters, but bear in mind, I haven't been into this fandom in a while._

_Soooo. Enjoy?_

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><p>Around nightfall, four figures could be seen moving stealthily in the dark. The hallways of the hospital were nearly empty, only a few patients littering the path and nurses standing outside their patients' rooms filling out medical forms and having conversations with the doctor. Not one of the nurses, doctors, or even security guards picked up on the four adults moving in the dark hallways, especially because three of them were dressed in light green scrubs while the taller of the group was dressed in his usual white lab coat.<p>

None said a word, not to each other, not to passersby. Their plan precisely stated that they not speak to anyone within the facility, because three of the four would surely give something away pertaining to them having not actually worked in a hospital, or even had Medical degrees.

A sufferable sigh escaped the taller of the four; Hatori Sohma.

A plan, he'd told his comrades in hopes they'd comply, was completely unnecessary as he was perfectly okay with talking to her doctor about moving her into his care. Considering his patience, he was sure he'd be able to get her doctor to concede, especially because she was so used to monthly check-ups from the Dragon. However, it had resorted to this, the double-O seven rationales of his family members and acquaintance, and he had decided to tag along to talk them out of trouble.

When they finally made it to Tohru's room, Hatori couldn't have been more relieved; to be seen with these buffoons (well, the two buffoons pretending to be in a James Bond movie, and their unwilling accomplice) made him consider bashing his head against the wooden frame of the hospital. With a professionalism only Hatori could pull off, he walked inside the room, waving the rest of the 'break-Tohru-out' brigade inside.

"Alright; Shigure, you stand by the door and be the lookout while Mine and Ayame help me over here with Tohru."

The Dog did as he was bade, standing on the backside of the door, occasionally peeking outside the little strip of glass to make sure no one would disturb them and rain on their parade.

Mine and Ayame followed Shigure over to the bed of their sleeping girl, her arms still bandaged from where the wood of the fallen tree cut and splintered her, and the color of her face was just a shade lighter and sweat collected at her brow; she'd contracted a fever shortly after everybody had left, most assuredly because of the stuffiness of the room. Assuring to check her when they arrived at the Sohma estate, Hatori looked to the Snake. "You and I will have to gently lift her; too much movement will jolt her and make her dizzy." Mine readied herself, sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for Tohru to be lifted onto her back. Gently, Ayame wrapped his arm around Tohru's shoulders as Hatori held her head so that her neck wouldn't fall forward and wake her; now, the Dragon could understand why Shigure thought of her as 'delicate'.

Once Tohru was in a sitting position, Mine was requested to help get her onto her back. Nearly as soon as her arms rested on the older woman's shoulders, Tohru wrapped her arms around her neck, an instinctual response. Effortlessly, the brunette was brought up off of the bed, the bespectacled woman holding under the girls' thighs to hold her up. "Alright… now what?"

Suddenly, Shigure spun to the group with wide dark eyes, pointing at the door with his pupils to signal that someone was walking toward them. "We've got to hide! Someone's headed our way!"

Hatori cursed under his breath but sighed, pointing over to the washroom connected to the room. "Shigure, get in the washroom. Ayame, take Mine to the veranda and help her toward the Sohma house. I will…" he sighed, before he heard the doorknob twist. He turned to make sure his family had made it out – oh, will you look at that; he couldn't ever count on them to hurry if they were about to miss a cab, but if Tohru was involved, they'd be out quicker than he could react – and he went over to the bed, knelt beside it, and slid underneath.

_Such an embarrassment…_

The door opened and a nurse stepped in and as he let a soft sigh escape his lips, the woman screamed. "Doctor! Doctor! The patient is missing…!"

_…I'll be sure to get in touch with the doctor. Perhaps I can switch over her records into my care before the night is over._

When the nurse disappeared into the hall to fetch the doctor, Shigure peeked his head out of the washroom door and hissed for his friend. The Snake narrowed his eyes as he got out from under the bed, dusting off his coat before the two escaped to the veranda; well, it might have almost been ruined, but it seemed 'Operation: Get Tohru out of the hospital and to the main estate' was starting to be successful. And, as the two leaped from the second story railing and landed in the soft bushes below, Shigure's triumphant whoop could be heard down the street, as was the yelp as Hatori smacked him behind the head.

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><p><em>You know the drill; review if you feel so inclined! (Though they make me all happy and warm and fuzzy inside.~)<em>

__-Cookie-


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